Monday Morning

Posted on January 23, 2012 by nicdempsey

It’s Monday, it’s January and I don’t know about anyone else, but I need all the cheesy, motivational inspiration I can get, this work week is going to be interesting..

So this weel I will be mostly concentrating on these things…

1) It’s only 5 days…

2) The flat is tidy, the ironing done and worse case, all I need to do is make my lunch for the next day before I collapse into a heap and sleep.

3) Next Friday is cocktails with Christelle

4) Next Saturday I get to spend the day with Oli, which is always fun..

5) Next Sunday, Ryan is coming round for a night of cocktails, food and birthday (his) nonsense…

6) This is the last Monday in January I’m going to be at work, next Monday is annual leave and February is a short month..

7) Finally, Mum’s current favourite quote…’ Yesterday is past and today lies open before us…’

Have a good week..

 

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Sunday Music

Posted on January 22, 2012 by nicdempsey

Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time in the car with Mum, and it was a Mario Lanza day.

Ma loves Mario Lanza, something she gets from her father. In a sort of musical Stockholm syndrome, I don’t hate it as much as I did. It reminds me of my Grandad and of Saturday afternoons when I was at secondary school and BBC2 used to show musicals in the afternoon (there were only 4 channels when I was a teenager and two of them were sports based on Saturday afternoons!).

Anyway, if I could be said to have a favourite song by Mario Lanza it’s this one. Drink, Drink, Drink. (Oh the irony…a song about drinking, that reminds me of my teetotal Grandad). I’m pretty sure that in 10 years time Ma and I will be inflicting this torture on the nephew, it’s the circle of life or something

Updated to add: Ma has just pointed out that although the voice is Mario, the actor in this clip is not. It’s Edmund Purdom, Lanza had a fight with the director over a song and wasn’t in the film but the soundtrack had already been recorded. (according to Wikipedia)

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Friday Night Cocktail

Posted on January 20, 2012 by nicdempsey

If you don’t like Bloody Mary’s (and I don’t) the marmalade cocktail is the answer.

For Christmas Michael bought me the Hawksmoor at Home cookbook. On principle alone,  I was ready to love a cookbook that features so much beef and has a cocktail chapter, but that aside it’s a great book. Although if you’re a vegetarian, buy it for a meat eater you know and copy all the pudding and cocktail recipes before you give it away!

One of the cocktail recipes is for the marmalade cocktail (and I also like that that they don’t call everything in a martini glass a ‘martini’ when it plainly isn’t! There was a problem though, I didn’t have any orange marmalade to hand, I did have some lemon marmalade (made with my own fair hands!) and used that instead.

I loved the results, not too sweet and just bitter enough. Bonus points for being a lovely pale pink colour.  This is a good cocktail for people who ‘don’t do gin’.  I’m pretty sure that the orange marmalade version is good too, so give it a try with that and let me know how it goes

What

1 heaped teaspoon lemon marmalade

50ml good gin (Tanqueray for me, Hawksmoor recommend Beefeater)

5ml Campari

15ml lemon juice

a dash of orange bitters

How

1) Place a heaped teaspoon of marmalade in a shaker.

2) Add the gin and stir, making sure to break up the marmalade.

3) Add the other ingredients and fill the shaker with ice.

4) Put the lid on and give it a hard shake to break down the marmalade.

5) Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve with a twist of lemon peel (orange if you’re using orange marmalade)

6) Drink and enjoy.

Posted in Booze | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Not big, not clever and mummy doesn’t do it…

Posted on January 19, 2012 by nicdempsey

Shit bartenders say (from well…all over the place – mostly Twitter)

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Little things

Posted on January 19, 2012 by nicdempsey

Loads to do at work, I’ve been getting out of the house at 7am to get to work at 8am. It needs to be done but January mornings are dark and today wet. So when the train arrives and it’s empty, which means I get to sit instead of being crammed in to an overcrowded train. Makes me happier and almost glad to be early…

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Happy Thursday people, it’s almost The weekend..

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Breakfast

Posted on January 18, 2012 by nicdempsey

Now that the novelty of being back at work has worn off and the need to be at my desk by 8am has kicked in, I’m struggling with breakfast. I know that I need to eat it, I know it’s important but finding time to eat before I leave for work is difficult. I could do what the majority of people in my office do and buy something on the way in. We have a Starbucks, a Pret and an Eat I could visit on the way from the station to the office but it’s expensive and the healthy option is porridge and I hate porridge (it’s the texture of it all slimy and yuk!)

Clearly, I need to bring breakfast into work with me. This is the solution.

Yogurt, compote and granola.

I’m not making any great health claims for this, but it’s better than the alternatives.

The compote consists of a bag of frozen cherries, a half a bag of frozen blueberries and the juice of an orange, it doesn’t need any extra sugar. Put it in a pot and cook it until it looks like compote. (It’s hugely technical).

The granola is adapted from a Nigella recipe (adapted in the sense of me replacing some of the ingredients with what I had in the cupboards already!)

225g rolled oats

150g mixed seeds (I used my usual mix of sunflower, pumpkin and pinenuts)

2 heaped teaspoons of ground cinnamon

150g (125ml) runny honey

50g brown sugar

60g chopped almonds

Half a teaspoon sea salt (I used Cornish Sea Salt but Maldon is fine if you’re using table salt use only a pinch)

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

180g dried fruit (I used chopped dried apricots and sultanas)

How

1) Put everything except the fruit into a bowl and mix well. I use vinyl disposable gloves and get stuck it!

2) Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake at 170oC/gas mark 3 for about 35 to 45 minutes, turning half way through cooking. The mixture should look golden brown and toasted. (My oven runs hot so you may find this takes longer!)

3) Remove from the oven and leave to cool

4) Once cooled mix in the dried fruit and store in an airtight container.

Posted in Cooking, Food | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Top tip

Posted on January 17, 2012 by nicdempsey

Eternal spring onions.

I can’t claim any credit for this one. It comes from Back to Her Roots.

Cut them, put the bottoms in water and they just keep growing. Having them on the side ensures that I use them and don’t let them rot in the fridge.

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Why I don’t own a TV

Posted on January 16, 2012 by nicdempsey

One of the great things about a new job is adjusting to and getting to know new people. So over the last couple of weeks, especially after Christmas, I’ve had the “no I didn’t watch that, I don’t have a TV” and had to explain why not.

So I thought I’d answer some of the questions here.

1) Why not?

When I moved into this flat, I had to move a lot of books and stuff out of storage. It was a big job, the money I had available was limited, so it was a choice between buy a TV and pay for a TV license or pay for two men and a big van to help me move my possessions. I’d been living with my uncle and our viewing tastes were very different, so I didn’t watch a lot of TV. Then I spent 6 weeks at my mum’s and she doesn’t have a TV, so I knew that I could do without one for a while so I picked the removal men!

2) Do you think TV is bad for you?

No, there’s some fantastic TV out there. Ok, so not Celebrity Big Brother and I’m not a great lover of EastEnders but there’s been some amazing stuff this year, Sherlock, The Hour, Spiral, The Fades…the list goes on..

3) What does all your furniture point at?

That middle of the room. See below

4) Will you ever get a TV?

At this stage in the game, probably not, there are many other things I would like in this flat that I would prioritise over having a TV, like a new wardrobe and a kitchen aid for example!!

5) How do you know what’s happening in the world if you never watch the News?

The short answer is Radio 4! The longer answer is newspapers, the radio, the internet and sometimes Twitter!

6) Do you miss it?

No. I live in the age of DVD’s, BBC iPlayer and iTunes, so I can still watch TV shows that I want to watch. The advantage being that I get to be more selective and hopefully watch better TV (though I should confess that I am quite taken with The Vampire Diaries). Although I think that’s a trend generally and doesn’t just apply to the way I watch TV.  The only time I really missed it was during the World Cup, football on the radio is not the same.

7) Do you find that you get more done because you’re not watching TV?

Sometimes. Not the weekend I got The Wire boxset but I have found since being back at work, when I get home from work and/or the gym, by the time, I’ve eaten, cleared up, made tomorrow’s lunch and sorted out the various things I need to do (rubbish, ironing, cleaning, talking to Ma, mindless wondering around the internet, checking Twitter etc) it’s almost time for bed and I just read until bedtime. Remembering back to when I did have a TV, it’s less likely that I’ll come home and just sit around in front of the box, but I am the world’s laziest person though and I don’t need a TV to ensure that I sit around doing nothing all evening, I can do that with books or the internet!

8) Is it fair that you watch TV on BBC iPlayer and don’t pay for a TV license?

Probably not. The current rules state that if you don’t have a TV license, you can’t watch live television. I’m pretty law abiding and stick to that rule. So I can’t watch Sherlock as it is being broadcast, I have to wait until later. iPlayer did have a helpful little screen that popped up and reminded you if you clicked on something that was still being broadcast. (I just checked and that seems not to be there now, which is a shame). However, I’d be ok with paying a form of license fee for the radio and iPlayer if it came to that, but as it is, I’m obeying the law and I do pay tax, which also funds the BBC. If I want to watch anything on the ITV, C4 or C5 players, I have to sit through adverts like everyone else who doesn’t own a Tivo box thing. I buy DVD’s and have also bought series passes on iTunes, so I do pay for what I watch and don’t feel that guilty.

9) Do you think it’s wrong/bad etc that I have a TV?

No, no and no. My choices are mine and not a judgement of yours. It’s really stupid to say that all TV is bad and to believe that not having a TV in any way makes you happier, more clever or more intellectual than people who do is just wrong and not very bright. So I don’t do it.

I think that covers it, but if anyone else has any other questions, ask!

 

Posted in Home, How I Live | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Sunday Music

Posted on January 15, 2012 by nicdempsey

Carolina Chocolate Drops.

I know, I know, it might be Country, I’m just gonna embrace it….

Your Baby Ain’t Sweet Like Mine

Snowden’s Jig

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Clarifications

Posted on January 14, 2012 by nicdempsey

As I travel through my late 30’s, it has become apparent to me that assumptions are being made about my life and I’d like to clear up some misconceptions.  You’ve been warned, it’s about to get ranty around here….

1) Being in my 30’s without a partner or child doesn’t mean that I’m selfish or afraid of commitment...

Guys, I didn’t get married or have kids. Surprisingly, all this indicates is that, I didn’t get married or have kids. It doesn’t mean that I’m selfish, lacking or missing something. It just means that those things didn’t happen.

I have 6 godchildren and a nephew, I babysit like a champ. Don’t label me selfish because I get to lie in bed on a Saturday morning.  Instead think about this, I give up weekends and evenings to look after children that aren’t mine. I’ve housed teenagers in distress and negoiated ceasefires with their parents. I’ve done this for children I haven’t given birth to and don’t share DNA with. Sometimes it’s quite painful for me to look after those kids, knowing that I’m never gonna have one of my own. Parents look after their children because they have to, I do it because I love those kids and their parents, that’s the opposite of selfish.

While I’m on a roll,  I got involved with men who didn’t love me and then with a man who did and died. I’m not afraid of commitment, I was ready to commit, it just didn’t happen for me. I’d rather be alone, than be with someone who’s half hearted about it.

2) Not having a child means that I have no idea of the deeper things in life

Parents, I get it, having a kid was life changing and it’s a big deal. Buying a handbag is not either of those things. However, despite not giving birth, I have experienced life changing events that didn’t include giving birth. Holding my Grandad’s hand while he died, burying my father, holding Stef as he died and then trying to explain what was going on to his 3 year old kids in way that they could understand. My experiences aren’t any less valid or meaningful because I didn’t conceive a child. Belittling them because your experiences were different is rude.

3) Chosing to accept where I am and finding joy it, is not weird, it’s healthy

I refuse to apologise for living the life I have. I don’t want to try internet dating, I don’t want to spend my life obsessing on what could happen or didn’t happen. I want to spend my life being in it. Stop telling me I’m abnormal or intimating that my life has no value. It’s rude and mean.

4) There are worse things than being a single woman in her 30’s in London

It’s a first world problem, I feel plenty sorry for myself on occasion so I can do without your pity. Instead of telling me how sad you think my life is, try asking me about my life or if that’s too hard,  tell me about a great book, a play, ask me how to make a manhattan or if Chelsea are going to turn it around and win the league this season (on 2nd thought don’t ask me that, we’re not, it’s depressing!). My point is there is a whole world of art, science and wonder out there and I’m happy to talk about it. So asking me who I’m seeing or telling me time is running out if I want a child is pointless. If I was seeing someone, you’d probably know about and I am well aware of the ticking of my biological clock!

Posted in How I Live | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments